View Poll Results: Do your headers LEAK????
Voters: 57. You may not vote on this poll
Do Your Headers Leak?
Mine leak at the band clamps. No leaks anywhere else though. I wish I could get them to not leak under the car at the collectors. Anything I can do other than get them welded which I do not want to do?
TECH Addict
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,379
Likes: 2
After driving for awhile I was able to pinpoint where the band clamps would leak from, actually, it's right at the connection point of the bolts as at that section, there's no force pushing on the pipe to do a bit of a crush seal. It was leaving a little black carbon trail of where it was jetting out.
To keep my collectors from leaking, I put exhaust sealant around the edge where the pipe goes into the pipe, then I wrapped it all up with aluminum tape fairly tight, then I used some more exhaust sealant over the tape where the band clamp would go over and then put the band clamp on and tightened it down until the bolts were bottomed out.
The sealant will chip away and flake easily when you take it apart, but will pretty much stay in there under the tape and band clamp. No issues with leaks since doing that and it'll still come apart when I need it too. I actually had to reseat the gasket on my driver's side header, after having the cat bottom out a few times, it "shifter" my driver's side header a bit and caused a small gasket leak that left a visible carbon stain on the top part of the flange. I disconnected the driver's side collector and found that the muffler tape's adhesive had "melted" and kinda mixed up with the muffler sealant to make a damn hard epoxy like substance. A few taps of a rubber hammer had it break apart, but I know for sure it was sealed now.
To keep my collectors from leaking, I put exhaust sealant around the edge where the pipe goes into the pipe, then I wrapped it all up with aluminum tape fairly tight, then I used some more exhaust sealant over the tape where the band clamp would go over and then put the band clamp on and tightened it down until the bolts were bottomed out.
The sealant will chip away and flake easily when you take it apart, but will pretty much stay in there under the tape and band clamp. No issues with leaks since doing that and it'll still come apart when I need it too. I actually had to reseat the gasket on my driver's side header, after having the cat bottom out a few times, it "shifter" my driver's side header a bit and caused a small gasket leak that left a visible carbon stain on the top part of the flange. I disconnected the driver's side collector and found that the muffler tape's adhesive had "melted" and kinda mixed up with the muffler sealant to make a damn hard epoxy like substance. A few taps of a rubber hammer had it break apart, but I know for sure it was sealed now.
Jake
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i have hooker headers and stock gaskets with a leak...but im sure its just the old gasket. i bought some Breslin header bolts and new gaskets and will be changing the gaskets soon.
Leaks started a few months ago, but i said F it bc I was going on deployment. When I got back I tried to tighten the bolts, and the threads in the head were stripped
Soooo, now i have ported 243s 
and i was in a hurry so I used the same gaskets, and it was leaking still....but now that I have the Breslins, i think I will be fine. They were on the car for 3 years before they started to leak, so not all Hooker Headers suck
Leaks started a few months ago, but i said F it bc I was going on deployment. When I got back I tried to tighten the bolts, and the threads in the head were stripped
Soooo, now i have ported 243s and i was in a hurry so I used the same gaskets, and it was leaking still....but now that I have the Breslins, i think I will be fine. They were on the car for 3 years before they started to leak, so not all Hooker Headers suck 
I wish the collector on my pacesetters was longer. I dont know where they are leaking from (EGR and AIR blocked off, stock gaskets), but they are def. leaking. I would never rip 'em off, only if they rusted and to replace with some stainless.
-J
-J
